Powder container



Feb. 10. 1925. 1,525,842

W. E.'WEST POWDER CONTAINER Filed March 26. 1925 liar/857 CZ V/MTT'Patented Feb. 10, 1925.

UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM E. WEST, OF NORTH ATTLEBORO, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO 3-.BLACK- INTON & 00 OF NORTH AT'I'LEBO'RO, MASSAGHUSETT$, A COPAR' T'NERSHIP.

POWDER CONTAINER.

Application filed March 26, 1923- ScriaI No, 627,876.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WVILLIAM E. nstr, a citizen of the United States,and resident of North Attleboro, in the county of Bristol and State ofl\ Iassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inPowder Containers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to powder containers of the type employed forcarrying about the person a supply of face powder or the like and isintended to provide a simple, convenient and reliable construction thatlends itself readily to supply regulated quantities of the powder foruse without waste and without danger of spilling.

Vanity cases of this type for carrying the powder in loose-form insteadof in plaques have frequently been made with a perforated diaphragm laidover the supply of powder so as to sift through the perforations againsta superimposed powder puff, but such a construction and arrangementresults in allowing too large a supply of powder to sift through intothe puff compartment so that the puff itself becomes overloaded withpowder and oftentimes the pufi' compartment contains a considerableexcess of powder which is easily spilled out of the shallow puffcompartment when the lid of the case is opened.

The present invention overcomes these troubles by providing the hollowcasing or.

container with a closure or imperforate diaphragm mounted so as toconfine the powder within the powder compartment, provision being madeby a valve perforation in the side of the casing to eject or dischargethe powder upon the pad or puff at will and in such quantities only asthe user desires. A further feature of the invention consists in thecombination with the lateral perforated casing of a powder containingdiaphragm of spring material so that the powder may be ejected throughthe orifice in the casing by pressure against the diaphragm as well asby merely shaking the box to deliver the powder on the puff held exposedto the orifice.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated a form of powdercontainer or case suitable for carriage in aladys reticule or the likeembodying the principles of this invention, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the complete case.

Figure 2 is a cross section on the plane 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the open case with the powder-confiningdiaphragm partly brokenaway with a part of the side wall of thecasingshown in section. I

Figure 4 is a cross sectional detail showing the side wall with thevalve or gate in open lposition with relation to the discharge orice. r

In the practice of this invention, according to the form illustrated inthe drawings, the main body portion of the casing comprises a bottom 1,to which is secured the annular peripheral or side wall 2 whose open topis covered by aremovable lid 3 attached in any suitable manner as by ahinge 4:.

Following the usual practice, a mirror 7 is secured to the inside faceof the cover by means of a bezel 6. The side wall of the casing oppositethe hinge is provided with a struck-out 11p 5 having spring engagement 9formed with an outwardly projecting annular lip 10, the latter beingvery narrow so as to overhang the upper edge of the body member whenplaced inside of it. This diaphragm is preferably formed of spring metalnormally bowed upward slightly to form an elastic or spring drumalthough this is not an essential feature of the present invention.

The side wall 2, is provided with a lateral perforation 11, between thebottom and the diaphragm 8, said diaphragm itself being imperforate. Avalve or gate 13, in this case conforming to the interior curvature ofthe wall 2, is mounted so as to cover the discharge opening 11 and saidgate is preferably provided with an aperture 15 intermediate of its endsarranged so as to be brought into register with the aperture 11 when thegate or valve 13 is shifted to discharge position. This valve may bemounted in any suitable manner, and I have here shown the side wall 2provided with a short circumferential slot 12 through which is passedfrom the outside a small knob 1 L Whose inner end is secured to thevalve so desired quantity of powder the diaphragm 8" is pressed intoposition inside the top of the casing, the valve 13 being at that timeclosed. A thin pad or puff may be placed on top of the diaphragm whichforms a shallow tray for containing the padand the downwardly projectingmirror. When it is desired to apply the powder the lid is opened toremovethe pad, the'valve is shifted to open position and the casing withits discharge orifice downward is; presented to the pad and the powderejected through by shaking or by pressing the diaphragm 8 inward whichserves to squirt. or eject a small quantity of powder onto the paid.

By this arrangement there is no loose powder collected in the pad ormirror-containing tray and only such quantity of' powder is appliedtothe pad as the userl actually desires. Sift and waste is thereforeavoided and the mirror is not obscured by becoming coated with powder aswould be the case if the diaphragm itself were perforated to allow thepowder to pass into the puff compartment.

lVhat I claim is:

1. A powder container embracing a hollow casing comprising a bottom' anda circumferential side wall, a lid engaged with said side wall to closethe casing, an

upwardly arched diaphragm of spring 'metal detachably inserted in theupper por- 1 mally closing said aperture, substantially as described.

2. A powder container embracing in its construction a. hollow casingcomprising a bottom and a circumferential side wall, a lid for closingthe top of said casing, an internal powder-expelling diaphragm of springmetal mounted inside the casing to cover and retain the powder thereinwhen the lid is open, the circumferential wall being perforated for theexpulsion of powder, and an arcuate slidemo-unted inside thecircumferential wall and movable from the outside to uncover thepowder-expelling perforation to allow the escape of powder from thediaphragm when the diaphragm is compressed toward the bottom of thecasing, substantially as described.

3. A. powder container embracing. in its construction a hollow casingcomprising a bottom and a circul'nferential side wall, a lid normallyclosing the open top of said casing, an interiorly disposedspring-diaphragm mounted between the lid and-the bottom of the casingandacting, when com pressed toward the bottom, to expel powder through adischarge aperture in the side wall, and an arcuate slide valve mountedinside the side wall to cover and Lmcover said casing and slightly heldin place by a radially projecting pin passed through a slot in the sidewall to be accessible from the outside of the casing. y

In witness whereof, I have subscribed the above specification.

WILLIAME. WEST. 1. s]

